Russia May Seek Prisoner Swap after Detaining Japanese Journalist

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Speculation is growing that Russia will seek a prisoner exchange following the recent detention of a Japanese journalist for alleged spying in Sakhalin in the Russian Far East.

Some believe that the detention of the Hokkaido Shimbun reporter is linked to the handover to Germany this month of a Russian hacker detained in Japan in May.

Germany had asked Japan to detain the Russian hacker, a key member of the international hacking group Qilin, which has repeatedly carried out cyberattacks around the world, including ones targeting Japanese companies and hospitals.

On Tuesday, a Russian independent media outlet reported that the Japanese journalist was detained after Japan announced the hacker's extradition, suspecting that the detention was a retaliatory action.

While invading Ukraine, Russia has carried out a prisoner swap with the West involving a detained U.S. newspaper reporter. In light of this case, the independent media outlet noted that foreign nationals in Russia could be used as bargaining chips in swaps with Russians held abroad.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]